Swastikas and Ceilings
by Slovenskych
Summary: It's WWII, and the Nazis are in preparation for the largest military invasion the world has ever seen. Austria is horrified when Hungary is ordered to go fight on the Eastern Front. But when he tries to convince Germany to let her stay, a drunken Prussia steps in with a few words of his own. Oneshot, rated T for a LOT of cursing.


**I wanted to write this because as much as I've talked about WWII in my stories, I've never actually gotten to show the nations living at Germany and Prussia's house. Also, I wanted to write Prussia as a Nazi because he's awesome at being one.**

 **A little historical background... After WWI, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was dissolved, meaning that Roderich and Elizaveta were forced to divorce. In my headcanon they have continued to see each other afterwards, and Ludwig promised Roderich that Elizaveta would be kept safe in exchange for the annexation of Austria, also known as the Anschluss. This story takes place in 1941, two years after WWII started. Enjoy!**

Every night when Elizaveta laid in bed and stare at the ceiling to think, the first thing that always came to mind was now perfect it was. No cracks, no rusty drips or water stains, no dust. It was _too_ perfect - almost fake. She wasn't sure why, but this had always bothered her. Nations' houses were supposed to be filled with ancient artifacts and keepsakes, secret passages and abandoned rooms filled with haunting memories. There should be cracks, layer upon layer of chipped paint, peeled wallpaper to reveal fading designs. Nations' houses should have history and stories to tell just as mysterious as the nation who lived there.

Of course she knew the reason why the ceiling seemed so perfect: It was new. The mansion had only been built a few years ago, its construction ordered by Hitler to house the invaded nations. One by one the rooms had filled up – first she and Roderich's room, then Czech and Slovak, next had been Poland... Even now, when there were so many nations in the house that Ludwig was struggling to find chores for them all, an entire wing lay dark and untouched. It reminded Elizaveta of empty frames awaiting a bug collection.

She let out a long sigh through her nose, cool bedsheets rising and falling again. There were much more important things to be worried about, and yet every night the first thing she thought of was that stupid ceiling. Would it stay perfect forever, trapped in this Third Reich time capsule? Would all the nations live here long enough for it to begin to crack? Or would they be allowed to move back into their own homes after the war? These questions whirled around in her head until she could stand it no longer.

"Roderich..."

The tired voice beside her vibrated softly through the mattress, "Yes, love?"

"What do you think will happen to us? When all of this is over."

A smooth hand took hers under the covers, his thumb brushing over the top of her fingers. "That's difficult to say, my dear. It depends on who wins."

"Who do you think will win?"

Roderich took a deep breath, but he didn't answer. Elizaveta turned her head towards him. "What is it?"

"Something's… changed."

"What?" she asked again.

His hand tightened around hers. "Hitler is making plans to invade the Soviet Union."

Elizaveta sat up on her elbows. "What!? He can't possibly – He's insane!"

"That's what I said. But apparently Ludwig and Gilbert agree with him."

"That's ridiculous! That's exactly how we lost the last time!"

"They know that, dear."

"It's suicide!"

"It's ambition." Roderich's lips pressed into a hard line. "My cousins are under the false impression that Britain is the only free power in the West, but it's only a matter of time before the Americans join the war. We'll be fighting on two fronts."

Elizaveta's eyes widened. "Then… we can't win."

"It is unlikely, yes."

She sank back into the pillow, lacing her fingers with Roderich's. Her voice came out a whisper, "What do you think will happen to us?"

"The last time we lost a war, the Allies did everything in their power to rip us apart. They took everything from us _._ _"_ Roderich rolled to his side, his dark eyes filled with worry. "But now they have even more reason to destroy us than they did before."

A bad feeling settled in Elizaveta's stomach. What more could the Allies take away that they hadn't last time? Their marriage, the Hapsburg throne, their economies…

"There is another difference," Roderich continued. "Last time Russia surrendered. He had no say in the reparations."

Elizaveta's eyes widened. "But if he defeats the Nazis…"

"He will play a large part in carving up the borders when all of this is over. Britain won't like it, but he will have little choice."

Elizaveta was overcome with a sense of dread. There was no secret to what Russia wanted: more land. She breathed deeply through her nose, rolling to her side to face Roderich. She placed a hand on the side of his head, twirling a stray lock of black hair between her fingers. He leaned forward and pressed their lips together. They moved against each other slowly, as if afraid these moments wouldn't last. "I don't want to lose you again," he whispered, his breath warm against her skin.

"We have to be prepared for the worst."

"It's hard to imagine that it could get any worse."

Her lips lifted in a humorless smile. "War always does."

~/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/~

As the months went on, more signs of invasion plans filled the mansion. Roderich was constantly attending war meetings, and new furniture was delivered to fill the empty bedrooms. The house grew restless; everyone knew this was a major turning point in the war. Despite the Nazis' optimism, few nations were convinced they had a chance at defeating the Reds. Elizaveta even heard hopeful rumors that Gilbert might freeze to death.

She was washing the dishes one evening when a deep voice said behind her, "Miss Hungary, I would like a word with you."

"Can it wait? It'll only be a few minutes before Denmark is in here trashing the place, and I want this kitchen clean for at least _two_ minutes – "

"Nein, I would prefer we speak now."

She set down the plate and turned off the faucet, wiping her hands on her apron and leaning against the counter. "Yes?"

Ludwig stood in the doorway, the various medals and ornaments on his uniform glistening in the dim light. He looked deadly serious as he always did, his jaw set in firm authority. "I'm sure that you've heard of Operation Barbarossa."

"The invasion of the Soviet Union," she finished, crossing her arms. "It's not exactly a secret, Ludwig."

"So I've heard. It's going to be the largest land invasion the world has ever seen."

Elizaveta rolled her eyes. "Yes, Gilbert won't shut up about it."

"I've spoken with the Führer, and we both agree that we need as many troops as we can afford to fight on the Eastern front." He held her with an intense blue gaze. "This includes troops from Austria, East Prussia, Romania... and Hungary."

Elizaveta tensed. "You can't send my people out there! They'll freeze!"

"We are well equipped, I can assure you."

"Oh, you were perfectly 'well-equipped' the last time, weren't you?!"

"This is _different_ ," Ludwig growled. "Our top officers have been studying previous failed attempts at invading Russia. We have accounted for every possible mistake."

"You can 'study' all you want, I am _not_ letting you drag me into this!"

"I didn't ask for your permission, Miss Hungary."

It suddenly struck her why Ludwig wanted to speak with her in the kitchen rather than in the formal setting of his office: He didn't want her to make a scene. Elizaveta shot him a glare. "You're mad. Both of you, and that ludicrous boss of yours. Invading the Soviet Union! You might as well wave one of Feli's white flags!"

Ludwig crossed the room in three giant steps and closed a glove around the collar of her dress. She gasped as he wrenched her close to his face, eyes burning. "Do _not_ treat the Führer with such disrespect, is that clear?"

Elizaveta was too angry to listen to the fear rising in the back of her throat. "He deserves it."

Ludwig's eyes narrowed to slits. "I don't trust you." He let go of her collar, stepping back and looking her up and down with a cold gaze. "Austria has been too protective of you. You should have been interrogated long ago."

"Do it, then," she spat. Elizaveta had never spoken to Ludwig like this - she'd heard too many screams from nations who dared disobeyed him. But for some reason she wasn't afraid anymore. She hated what the Nazis were doing, and by god, she would bleed for it.

"Nein…" Ludwig said slowly. "I have a better idea." He straightened his jacket, pulling at the hems of his gloves. "You will join Gilbert and I on the Eastern front."

Elizaveta's jaw dropped. _"What?"_

"It would be a good experience for you. You haven't fought in this entire war, I'm sure you'd be glad to get out of this impossible house."

She stared at him in disbelief. A bloody nose was one thing, but risking her life in the grips of a Russian winter to fight a lost war she didn't even _believe_ in? "You – you can't make me go to _Russia!"_

"Pack your supplies, Miss Hungary. We depart in a week." Ludwig turned on his heel and strode out of the kitchen, the medals on his uniform jingling as he went.

~/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/~

Elizaveta chewed the skin around her fingernails of her right hand, twisting a loose thread in the comforter with her left. She sat alone on the bed she shared with Roderich, legs crossed and foot bobbing as she listened to the muffled shouts coming from Ludwig's office.

"I will _not_ stand for such tyranny! We had a deal!"

"Hungary is not to be trusted, she openly insulted the Führer and I suspect she has a hand in Resistance!"

"That has nothing to do with this! I will not allow you to send Elizaveta into that god-forsaken wasteland –"

"Then what would you have me do, interrogate her? Report her to the police? She is almost as unbearable as Poland!"

"She is invaluable to this operation! Without her, you would have mutiny on your hands!"

"Mutiny is the least of my concerns. You care too much for her; she has made you weak. Removing her would not only improve the safety of this house, it would remove an unnecessary distraction."

 _"Distraction?!_ She was my _wife,_ you barbarian! She is the only thing that keeps me going! You take her away from me, you take away everything I live for!"

"She is your wife no longer. We've entered a new age, Austria. I do believe it's time you caught up."

Elizaveta took a shaky breath. She had never seen Roderich so angry in years. He was shouting so loudly that she was sure every nation in the mansion could hear their argument. It was only a matter of time before Ludwig lost his patience.

Just then loud boot steps rang through the hall. They grew closer and closer until the bedroom door flung open, banging against the wall. She looked up to see Prussia in full SS uniform, his blood-red eyes wild with rage.

"Gilbert, what – _hey!"_

Before she had time to react, he had crossed the room and grabbed her by the arm, yanking her to her feet. She froze as the barrel of a pistol pressed into her back. "Come with _me,_ you ungrateful bitch," Gilbert snarled, forcing her out of the room. She stumbled to try and keep up. Normally she would have twisted out of his grip or shouted an insult, but he had almost shot her weeks before during a friendly argument. Gilbert had become power-crazy and unpredictable, and to make things worse she could smell alcohol on his breath. As they neared Germany's office, she realized with horror what he was going to do.

 _He's going to shoot me. He's going to use me to make a point. Oh my god, oh my_ god…

Prussia threw open the oak doors and shoved her into the office. She let out a cry as she stumbled forward.

BAM! BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM!

Elizaveta fell to her knees and screamed.

"GET DOWN!" Prussia roared, pointing the gun at Roderich. He knelt to the ground, his hands over his head. Prussia crossed the room and kicked him in the side. "I said DOWN, motherfucker! Head on the floor!" He pressed a boot to Roderich's head, mashing his face into the tile.

Germany rose behind his desk. "Bruder, what is the meaning of this –"

"Shut up and let me handle this! YOU!" Prussia marched over to Elizaveta and kicked her. She fell to the side, trembling. "GET over there with your pathetic excuse for an ex-husband! And KEEP your fucking heads on the ground, you got that!?"

She was shaking so badly that she barely managed to crawl over next to Roderich. At first she had thought that Prussia had shot her, but she didn't feel any pain. She risked a glance sideways to see if Roderich was hurt. She moaned when another boot dug into her ribs. "And SHUT UP! I don't want to hear another single fucking WORD out of your sachertorte-laced Hapbsburg-sucking mouths!"

There was a long, excruciating silence as Prussia paced in front of them, the pistol still gripped in his hand. Elizaveta's breath was hot against the floor, her entire body trembling. _He's gone mad,_ she thought. _He's gone absolutely mad._

"Bruder," Ludwig said slowly. "You're drunk."

Prussia ignored him, glaring down at the two nations bowed at his feet. "Sit down, Ludwig."

Ludwig sat down.

More silence. Finally Prussia stopped pacing, a twisted grin lighting up his face. "Let's play a game, shall we? It's called, 'Name that Government." He hummed in thought, the gun drifting between Elizaveta and Roderich. "Mmmmm… _Asstria!"_ He pressed the gun to Roderich's scalp. "You can be the lucky bastard to answer this first question. Tell me… what kind of government is this?"

Roderich didn't answer. Another gunshot rang out and Elizaveta screamed.

"I SAID, TELL ME what kind of government this is, bitch!"

"A-a-a dictatorship –"

"WRONG!" Prussia kicked Roderch in the head. He moaned, pressing his hands over the bleeding wound. Elizaveta felt the gun at her head. "Let's ask the _lady_ , shall we?" She could hear the grin in Gilbert's voice. "I'll give you a hint this time, since Mozart here is too dense to get it right. Here you are, with your faces on the ground at the feet of a man who sits in a chair. Tell us, _Elizaveta…_ what kind of government is this?"

Her voice trembled as she stammered, "A…a monarchy?"

"Oohh, very good." He flashed a wicked grin towards Ludwig. "Clever bitch, isn't she?"

Ludwig said nothing. He had no idea where his older brother was going with this.

"LOOK UP!"

Liz and Roderich jerked their heads up, having to crane their necks to see Prussia's face. "A MONARCHY!" He boomed, beginning to pace again. "A _monarchy_ , you hear that? Come ON, this is _not_ a new concept! Correct me if I'm wrong, bitches, but you've been living under a fucking monarchy for the entire extent of your pathetic lives! Maria Theresa, Franz Joseph, Charles IV, the list goes back so far I get a headache just thinking about it! So here comes our next question, bitches." He rounded on them, eyes ablaze. "If Maria Theresa says to go fight, do you fight?"

"Yes," Roderich said in a pained voice.

"If Franz Joseph asks you to get rid of spies, DO you?"

"Yes."

"Oh-hoHO! So you DO know how this works! So, well, excuse me for my ignorance, but WHAT IS THE FUCKING PROBLEM, THEN!?" Prussia stormed over to the wall where a portrait of Hitler hung. He threw out an arm to point at it. "HE is your king! You got that, bitches!? HIM, Adolf Hiter, HE IS YOUR FUCKING KING! If HE says to leave your houses and come to Berlin, you are getting your fancy asses out of the shower and skipping to the Brandenburg gate in a fucking TOWELL! If HE says we can only speak German, you'd better get your shit together and figure out der, die, das, den! And if HE says that you are going to actually PARTICIPATE in this invasion and fight in Russia, then you goddamm better be sure that you are going to GET OFF of your LAZY ASS, get yourself A GODDAMM rifle and GET OUT THERE and PARTICIPATE IN THE FUCKING INVASION!"

Prussia stalked away from the wall to tower over them again. "And GUESS WHAT, bitches? HE –" he threw an arm behind him at Ludwig – "is running this shit! HIM, Germany, Ludwig Beilschmidt, MY little brother! NOT you! You've had your turn! You've ruled for hundreds of years, you've owned half of the entire fucking continent, for Christ's sake! You've _lived_ your dream, you music-sucking bitches, so now will you STEP THE FUCK OFF THE STAGE and QUIT WHINING like CHILDREN and let my little brother do his fucking job!?"

Prussia threw up his hands, laughing humorlessly. "It's like you never got the memo! The Hapsburgs are DONE! YOU are done! You're over, finished! And yet you still have the GALL, to come in here and whine, and _complain_ to Ludwig, as if you even have a fucking say in what all goes on, here! Do you bitches even KNOW where you would be, without HIM? Without YOUR king?" He stormed over to the desk, rifling through a drawer until he pulled out a bill of paper money.

"Do you _know_ what this is?" He hissed, waving it in the air. "THIS, is an five _billion_ dollar deutschmark bill. FIVE BILLION FUCKING DEUTSCHMARKS. Do you _know,_ what this would buy you just twenty years ago?" He crouched down, his breath hot in Elizaveta's ear, "I couldn't even buy a fucking loaf of _bread_ with this shit." Prussia rose to his feet. "So don't you TELL me, about pain! Don't you come WHINING to us, about starvation, or loss! Bitch, I had my entire fucking _country_ taken away from me, you do not even KNOW what that feels like, DO YOU HEAR ME!? And I don't wanna hear this sappy sorry _shit_ , about how you're gonna 'lose everything you live for' because your precious little ex-wife is fighting a war. I _love_ Natalia, you got that? I love her more than anything else I've loved in my _life,_ and do you know what her freak of a brother would do if he saw us together? I haven't seen her in twenty-three _years,_ Asstria, TWENTY-THREE YEARS! So don't you TELL me about love! And YOU!" He rounded on Elizaveta. "YOU, are PATHETIC! The Liz I knew would do anything to fight in a war, she kicked _ass_ out there. And how many invasions have we made you fight since this war started? HOW MANY, BITCH!?"

"N-n-none…"

"NONE! NOT A SINGLE FUCKING INVASION! Ludwig and I have busted our asses out there fighting for YOUR economy and YOUR people, and all you can do is feed us shit about how getting you to actually fucking PARTICIPATE is _unfair!?_ We gave your people millions of jobs, we give you a place to live and good food to eat, we even fucking put you in charge of the whole fucking household, and you're calling my little brother a TYRANT?!"

The silence was deafening. Finally Prussia pocketed the pistol. "You can continue in your… discussion." He turned on his heel, marched out of the room and threw the office doors open. There was _thump,_ then a yelp and a whine of pain that sounded suspiciously like France.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU ALL LOOKING AT!? GET BACK TO YOUR RABBIT HOLES BEFORE I SHOOT SOMEBODY'S BALLS OFF!"

Elizaveta listened as dozens of footsteps raced away from the door, nations hushing each other as they disappeared into their respective rooms. Prussia's stomps faded into the hallways, back to whatever drunken cave he had emerged from.

For the first time, Elizaveta realized she had been crying. Hot salty tracks ran down her cheeks and dripped onto the tile beneath her. She craned her neck to look at Ludwig, but all she could see was the giant eagle and swastika carved into the front of his desk. She waited for him to say something, but the only noise that filled the office was her own shuddering breaths. "What," she whispered, her voice cracking, "What will you have us do?"

"Return to your rooms. That is all."

She stared into the eagle's angry eyes. _That's it?_ There was a rustle as Roderich stood up. Gentle hands took her by the arm and pulled her to her feet. As Elizaveta shakily rose, his arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her close. She didn't look at him; she was afraid she would lose control of her emotions in front of Ludwig. Instead she and Roderich began leaving the office, their footsteps echoing in the cavernous room.

"Oh, and Miss Hungary."

They stopped. She refused to turn around, instead fixing her gaze on the floor. "Yes."

"I expect a full report on your unit's patrol schedule by tomorrow evening."

Elizaveta squeezed her eyes shut, hot tears running down her cheek. "Yes, sir." Roderich held her close and led her out of the office, not speaking a word even as she broke down into sobs once they had reached the hallway.

~/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/~

Ludwig rapped on the door with the back of his knuckles. "Bruder?" There was no answer. He turned the handle and pushed the door open with a _creak._

The room was dark, save for a half-melted candle that flickered on the dresser. A large chair that the Nazis had plundered from Warsaw sat at the end of Gilbert's bed, the floor littered with bottles of beer. Ludwig wrinkled his nose at the stench.

"We _do_ have electricity, you know."

There was a grunt from the bed. Gilbert was stretched out in full uniform, his arms behind his head as his crimson eyes searched the ceiling.

"Are you alright?"

"I have a headache."

Ludwig raised his eyebrows. "As expected. There are five bullet holes in the ceiling of my office, and one in the floor."

"Get Francy-pants to patch it up."

Ludwig said nothing. He had never seen Gilbert so angry; it had surprised him. Although he would have never thought to compare the Third Reich to a monarchy. After all of his training, and Gilbert could still handle situations like that much better than he could. A part of him was frustrated that he still couldn't handle this operation on his own, while another part was grateful that he didn't have to. No matter how much the world hated him, Gilbert would always be there to slap him on the back and pass him another beer. Ludwig's face softened into a smile. "Get some rest. I'll tell Slovak to get some cold water for you and something to eat –"

"Hey, Luddy."

Ludwig fell silent, annoyed that Gilbert wasn't listening to him.

"Do you ever feel like… it's not enough?"

"What do you mean?"

"This," Gilbert said, lifting and arm and swirling his hand around. "All of this. The power, the bad-ass uniforms, the tanks, the mansion, subordinates… Do you just ever feel like… you need something _else?"_

Ludwig braced himself for a speech - Gilbert never got philosophical unless he was drunk. "No, I don't. This is what I've always wanted."

"Me too." Gilbert's brows pressed into a frown. "Me too, Luddy but – I dunno, I just thought I would be happier, you know? I thought – maybe… people would _like_ us."

Ludwig's lips pulled into a bitter smile. "Nations get attached to their flags, Bruder. They don't like it when you tell them to fly a different one."

Gilbert's arm dropped back onto the bed with a _slap._ "Flags," he chuckled. "Fucking _flags._ Kesesese..." He reached down and snatched a bottle of beer from the side table, propping himself up with his elbows to take a swig.

"It'll get better, Gilbert. When all of this is over. We'll finally have what we've worked for."

"Mm."

Ludwig opened the door, but before he could slip out of the room Gilbert called, "And you know what _really_ pisses me off?"

He turned around. "What?"

Gilbert motioned upwards with the beer bottle. "This damn ceiling."

Ludwig blinked. "The ceiling."

"Yeah, the fucking ceiling! It's got no cracks in it! I'm lying here on my Awesome bed trying to think, and I look up and all I see is this big, white, perfect ceiling! Where's the history? Where's the symbolism? It's just so fucking _wrong,_ you know?"

Ludwig gave his brother an odd look. "Gute Nacht, Bruder."

"No, I'm serious!"

"You're _drunk,"_ Ludwig pressed, before stepping out of the room and closing the door behind him. He shook his head, smiling to himself. He had spent his entire life at Gilbert's side, and yet there was so much he still didn't understand. _I must still be too young,_ he thought, making his way through the halls to find some medicine for headaches.

 **History Notes:**

 **Don't Invade Russia - One of the many reasons why the Central Powers lost WWI was because they spent years exhausting their manpower on the Eastern Front. Due to the Russian Revolution, Russia surrendered much of its land and pulled out of the war early. Even though the Central Powers considered this a victory, they continued to use up food and military supplies occupying the Eastern territories, which they COULD have been using to kick butt in the West.**

 **WWI Reparations- After the Allies defeated the Central Powers in 1918, their goal was to prevent another German takeover in later years. (This obviously failed. Miserably.) This resulted in the dissolution of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. A lot of political and economic instability ensued after this, as the borders were drawn and re-drawn again with little regard to the ethnicity of the people who lived there.**

 **Hyperinflation - After their defeat in WWI, Germany had a crushing debt to pay to the Allies. In order to do this, they printed a staggering amount of paper money so that the value of the deutschmark plummeted. By 1923, the American dollar was worth 4,210, 500,000,000 German marks. Austria and Hungary also took a blow from this depression.**

 **I said, DON'T INVADE RUSSIA - Operation Barbarossa was impressive, but the Germans invaded so far that their supply lines couldn't keep up with their soldiers. Originally the invasion wasn't supposed to last into the winter. It did. And it was COLD. And now we know not to invade Russia.**

 **What Happened to Hungary? - Since Russia played such a key role in the Nazis' defeat, Stalin called the shots when it came to claiming land. By 1945, the Soviet army had taken back territory in the East as far as the eastern half of Germany and Hungary. They stayed there until the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. -hands Elizaveta a handkerchief-**

 **AN:**

 **Prussia's rant was partly inspired by a rant that my dad gave me. Don't worry, it wasn't nearly as bad. Also my dad was once an extra in a WWII movie. I recently found a picture of him standing with a bunch of other white dudes in Nazi uniforms in front of a slick black 1940's car with the red swastika flying on it. I'm not sure how I feel about that.**

 **Thank you so much for reading, and please review! (And now I WILL work on the other stories I've started, I promise!)**


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